Goa Higher Secondary January Activity – Actizen Chain Challenge

1. Students will be able to comprehend and create awareness messages on one selected issue/theme to resolve the issue in their neighbourhood. 
2. Students will be able to identify their role as engaged citizens to spread awareness resolve issues in their immediate environment. 

1. Students will be able to describe how citizens can engage & spread awareness messages in context to a local issue in their own words.

Skills – Problem Solving, Collaboration, and Creativity 

Values – Righteous Conduct, Responsibility, Spirit of service 

Paper and Pens, art materials as required (following the best out of waste approach) 

 Step 1 – Introduction 

Estimated Time: 5-7 mins. 

Teacher will begin the session by asking the following questions – 

1. What are some of the ways we can spread awareness to resolve the issues we have identified in our neighbourhood? 
2. Why is it important that such kind of awareness campaigns be carried out in neighbourhood? 
3. Why should citizens take responsibilities to reduce/resolve such issues?

In today’s session we will plan for spreading awareness and to curtail such issues in immediate neighbourhood by doing a Chain Challenge. For that, in the classroom we will create the awareness message and strategy to spread this awareness. After the session, we will create chains of awareness by sharing these messages to as many people possible in our neighbourhood. 

Step 2 – Group Activity 

Estimated Time: 30 minutes. 

1. Divide the students into 4-6 groups as per the class size ensuring about 6-8 students in each group. 

2. Groups will need to identify one theme basis the issues they observe in their locality in past few sessions. 

3. Groups can work on different issues or Teacher & students can together decide one theme and groups can work on different issues under that theme. 

• For Example: For theme of Waste Management – different groups can work on different issues like a)Proper disposal of waste b) Waste segregation c) 3 Rs – Reduce, reuse, and recycle, etc.   

• The group can select any other topic of their choice with teacher’s approval provided it is an issue identified in the neighborhood.  

Note: Brief description of various themes is given in Annexure 1 for reference purposes 

4. In their own groups, students will then discuss further to identify three to four awareness messages for the selected topic. They can also strategize as how they will spread this awareness with help of artwork viz. Newspaper Paper bags, Posters, slogans, bookmarks, flags, etc. (following best out of waste approach) 

5. Students need to be informed that the group discussion time is only 20 minutes.  

6. Teacher can invite groups to share awareness messages with class. (if time permits) 

Step 3: Debrief & Chain Challenge 

Estimated Time: 8-10 mins. 

Tell the students that in coming one week, as per the decided strategy as group spread awareness to atleast 5 people in the neighbourhood. (Group awareness session or individual awareness) 

Students can ask these people to click a picture of themselves and the children/adults who joined the awareness chain held by them so that it appears in the form of a chain with them holding hands with each other.  They can submit these images to teacher/Office Bearer. 

Chain Collage for Reference -  

 (Source: https://bit.ly/Human-Chain)  

The Teacher/Office Bearer needs to compile all students’ ACTIZEN Chain Picture Collages and upload the compiled Collage in Feedback form/share with Engagement officer. 

Teachers are requested to do a debrief session with all students to try and understand- 

1. How was your experience of working in a group? 
2. What is your plan of conducting this awareness in your neighbourhood? 
3. How is this experience helping your become Alert, informed and active citizens?

https://bit.ly/3TU1i2m

​​Annexure 1 – Themes​ 

• Air Pollution:  The government, police, pollution control boards are suggesting many alternative ways to do things in our day-to-day life that do not pollute the environment. Even strict warnings are given in some cities regarding Air pollution by the concerning Pollution body. 
• Traffic management:  Traffic related challenges are becoming a concern for many localities due to increase in number of private vehicles. Traffic congestions, road accidents, following traffic guidelines, etc are some of the issues of concern under this theme.  
• Waste management:  Waste Management has emerged as a major challenge in many parts of the country. Although most of us know about it we tend to forget about it or do not prioritise it. Some issues under the theme of concern are littering, improper disposal of waste, excessive waste generation, etc. 
• Health Care Services: Inadequate access to basic healthcare services such as shortage of medical professionals, a lack of quality assurance, insufficient health infrastructure, poor awareness of health-related services and schemes, etc. are some of the areas of concern under this theme. 
• Digital Safety:  Nowadays we see lot of sales schemes and gift vouchers are flashing on various digital platforms, messages to click on link, emails/messages about winning lottery, people reaching out to ask One Time Passwords on pretext of lie like unpaid bill connection, etc. Some of them are digital traps to extract money from people through digital gateways. Some of the issues of concern under this theme are such digital frauds, One Time Passwords sharing risks, click on any links, etc.  
• Roads related issues: Roads are an important part of the neighbourhood. Adverse conditions of the roads or poor light system on the road may create severe problems for the neighbourhood. 
• Clean Drinking Water: Communities need clean water to stay physically healthy and prevent diseases such as cholera, diarrhea, typhoid, etc. Some of the issues of concern are insufficient access to purified drinking water, water pollution, scarcity of drinking water, poor infrastructure for water management, etc. 
• Stray Animals: In some locality, there is an increase in number of stray animals. These animals search for food, shelter and in their search may lead to unintended harm to people around. Some of the issues of concern under this theme is irresponsible pet ownership, halt traffic flow which may result in road accidents, biting/causing harm to people, etc.